Welcome To The Family
by Too Old For FanFiction
Summary: Can the ghost's of one's past truly bind them from their destiny? In the wake of Original vampires and a race-war bred from the lie of an ancient curse, Mystic Falls has become a place of slowly healing wounds and shaken friendships. How much trust can be afforded to a perfect stranger when a new power threatens the most weakened of them all? Features: OC/Damon/Alaric/Bonnie, et.al
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I started writing this story at the end of Season 2/beginning of Season 3. I like witches in general, so I wanted to further explore that area in this universe. Also - I was tired of Damon not getting the girl and, basically, just being strung along forever. I intend for this to be the start of a trilogy or quartet. I feel I should state that this first story is not a shipper story of any kind, but I'm hoping to hook you all with clever writing and the forging of endearing friendships.**

**Important things to note - Elijah managed to get Klaus to leave Mystic Falls after the ritual was completed. Damon never got bit by Tyler, so Stefan never had to trade himself for the cure. Let's pretend Katherine somehow got free on her own...I don't really care. She's not important to me at the moment.**

**Legal matters: I don't own any of the TVD characters. Seren Lancaster is mine.**

**Oh, also - Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my Klaroline one-shot, Beneath Your Beautiful. Your comments gave me the desire to post this story in hopes that I'll get inspired and finish it and not leave everyone (myself included!) hanging. I hope you all enjoy!  
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* * *

**~ Welcome To The Family ~**

"Sometimes we can choose the paths we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes we have no choice at all."  
― Neil Gaiman, _The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists_

~ 1 ~

It was only going on eight p.m. when the black Toyota Prius hit the city limits of Mystic Falls, but the night was already edging on pitch black. Rain had been coming down off and on for the entire day, and now a larger storm was pushing across the area causing torrents of water to rush across already soaked ground, flooding the small town streets.

The Prius had been on the road for nearly ten hours that day. At one point the driver thought she was actually going to arrive earlier than the scheduled time, but she had been plagued by storms ever since crossing into Virginia, almost feeling chased by the jagged lightning and lashing rains. Her nerves were raw and her muscles tense with anxiety. The wild energy of Nature's fury was tugging at her and she knew she had to stop the car soon.

Renewed vigor raced through her blood when she spotted the Mystic Falls welcome sign and she maneuvered the car through small modest neighborhoods toward the heart of town, toward the day's finish line.

* * *

Business at the Mystic Grill was slow. The intermittent rain had made for a few busy hours earlier in the afternoon as patrons hung around to stay out of the wet weather. When the winds had picked up and the larger storm began to roll in, the bulk of everyone paid up and headed home to bunker down for the evening. A foursome of college students on summer break were occupying the pool table in the back corner, enjoying the invincibility of their youth, not giving the weather a second thought, while a few die-hard locals dotted the bar stools with their favorite liquor of choice in their hands, enjoying the kind of freedom that only comes with the abolishment of sobriety.

Matt Donovan had just finished mopping the restrooms when the front door banged open. A soaking wet woman struggled to push the door shut against the wind as gusts of rain blew in around her legs, creating puddles on the stone tile floor.

"Thanks!" the woman sighed when Matt stepped in and helped to get the door closed once more. She noticed the lake of water after she pushed her dark wet hair out of her face, then she saw Matt and the mop he had abandoned against the wall when he had come to her aid. She winced with a pang of guilt. "Sorry," she apologized, sheepishly. "The wind pulled it right out of my hand."

"No worries," he assured her with an affable smile. "It's been a boring shift anyway. You're soaking wet."

"Ah, yeah, it's really coming down out there."

A faint redness of embarrassment crept up Matt's neck and into his cheeks when the light switch in his brain flipped on and he realized how obtuse he sounded. "Here," he said, moving quickly over to the hostess station, grabbing two white bar towels. "They're not much, but you can dry your face and wring out your hair."

"Thanks. Matt," she added after catching a glimpse of his name tag.

"Sure. Did you want a table or something? We have a few left with lovely views."

The woman laughed warmly as she rubbed at the ends of her hair. "I'm supposed to be meeting someone. Alaric Saltzman? He may have blown me off, what with the weather and all."

Matt's eyes shifted to the bar. "Mr. Saltzman? He's here. Been here for a while now. At the end of the bar. There."

She followed his gaze and saw the man in the leather jacket at the end of the bar. "Thanks, Matt. You've been an angel."

She took the towels with her as she made her way up to the bar. Water was still dripping off her clothes and hair even as she made her best attempt to mop herself up. The towels were already sopping wet. They plopped heavily on the bar when she finally gave up and dropped them.

"Alaric Saltzman?" she asked as she pulled out the stool next to the man and sat down. He turned his head in her direction but did not speak a word. He was slightly disheveled, unshaven. There were dark puffy circles under his reddened eyes. Matt had said he had been there a while and he had the distinct odor of whiskey about him. "I'm Seren Lancaster."

"You're late."

Seren smiled brilliantly but sardonically answered, "Yes, well, no one told me it was monsoon season in Virginia."

Alaric grunted once before picking up the glass in front of him and tossing back the remaining finger of golden liquid. "I didn't think you were going to show up."

"Have you rented the property to someone else in the time you've been sitting here waiting for me?" Alaric gave her a hard stare. "No? Then we should still be good. Bartender?" Seren ordered a gin and tonic for herself and another whiskey for Alaric. When the bartender gave her a weary look, she smiled knowingly but nodded to the empty glass on the bar. "Mr. Saltzman…"

"Alaric," he abruptly cut her off. As soon as the bartender refilled his drink, he picked up the glass and knocked back half of it. "How did you even know I was trying to rent out my apartment, Miss Lancaster?"

"Seren. I'm a witch."

Alaric's back stiffened at the word. Some of the alcohol haze cleared from his brain and he eyed her up from head to toe.

Seren smiled as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a damp, folded piece of paper. "Ta-Dah!" she declared once she had carefully peeled the sodden folds apart. She pushed the paper towards him. It was a copy of the ad he had placed in the local paper. "I worship at the altar of Google."

Alaric's hand visibly shook when he started to reach for his glass again. The word 'witch' kept ringing through his head as his vision drifted in and out of focus. Suddenly he very much regretted his choice of distraction for the evening.

""I'm sorry. It's been a very long day. I shouldn't be so glib. I am still interested in renting the apartment if you're still amiable. Alaric?"

"I'm sorry," Alaric hoarsely apologized. "Bartender, a water, please?" The water was cold and stung his throat and stomach as he gulped it down. And while there was no way it was going to sober him up instantly, it did help him get his first good look at Seren Lancaster.

Her hair had started to dry out a bit at the roots and the lights around the bar revealed a dark auburn hint of color in what had appeared to be chocolate-brown hair. She had good posture, even perched on the edge of a bar stool, and he easily summed her up to only be of average height. He also noted that she was carrying a few extra pounds on her frame, but they settled in just the right places and produced curves that many men would admire. Overall analysis – pretty and unassuming.

There was no way to ignore his scrutiny and Seren shifted in her seat and cocked her head at him. That's when he saw her eyes. They were a blue so faint that they encroached on grey. Combined with her dark hair and pale skin, they gave her a very other-world quality.

"Would you like to see the place before you agree to anything?"

"Only if you let me drive."

Alaric gestured for the bartender once more and closed out his tab. He wobbled unsteadily when he slid off his stool, the world having gone temporarily askew, but managed to collect his balance without making too much of a show. "After you, Miss Lancaster."


	2. Chapter 2

~ 2 ~

Nagging birdsong from right outside her bedroom window was what finally pulled Elena Gilbert out of the last vestiges of sleep. It had been a long night of fitful slumber with fractured dreams that still haunted. Images of darkest night broken by circles fire played through her mind, and the face of the monster who had created another jagged hole within her.

Elena gave her head a quick shake to bring herself back to reality, as forever altered as it now was, and pushed herself up to her feet, forcing herself to head downstairs to start her day.

"Good morning, Sunshine," she called to her brother when he came into view in the living room.

Jeremy Gilbert yawned widely as he shuffled into the kitchen. "Please tell me there's more coffee over there."

Elena put down her own mug and poured a cup for her brother. "Rough night?" she asked as she handed the coffee over.

"Research," he muttered before taking his first mouthful of black coffee. The brew was incredibly strong and his eyes widened as the bitter liquid washed over his tongue and went down his throat.

"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention when I was making it." Elena pushed the sugar bowl toward her brother and watched as he added three heaping spoonfuls to his drink. "Research?"

"Trying to find a way to help Bonnie."

Elena's expression slipped a bit at the mention of her best friend. It had been over three weeks since they had last spoken for any real length of time. Right after Bonnie had risked her life, using every bit of power she had to try to destroy Klaus and save all her friends. Elena had gone to see Bonnie the following day to thank her for doing everything she could, even though in the end things had not gone exactly as planned. But Bonnie didn't invite her in. She didn't even open the door all the way. She just smiled weakly, told Elena she appreciated her stopping by, but she'd really like some space for the time being.

"How is she?"

"Very…quiet. She won't talk about it at all and she hasn't used any magic since that night. I think maybe….maybe she can't, but there's no way I'm going to ask her."

"That's awful, Jer."

"That's why I'm trying to research it. Maybe I can find a way to help her."

"Yeah, yeah. That's really sweet of you. I'm glad she has someone looking out for her."

"Hey, Elena, it's…its not you, you know? It was the whole ordeal and…"

Elena shook her head and cut him off, "No, Jeremy, it's okay. You don't have to explain. We'll work things out in our own time." She really hoped that was true, but she couldn't bring herself to trust in it completely.

Jeremy could see the doubt and hurt on his sister's face. He knew how much she missed her best friend, how guilty she felt about needing Bonnie's help and putting her in danger. He had also seen the pain and fear in Bonnie's eyes the few times she had allowed him to hang out and there was no way he was going to push her into discussing the issue.

The soft jangle of keys came from the entry, followed by the sound of the front door opening and then the thud of something hitting the floor. Brother and sister shared a quick quizzical glance before pushing away from the kitchen island and going to investigate.

They found Alaric squatting down in the entry hall, shoving papers into a satchel that was lying open on the floor. His hair was a complete mess and his clothes were wrinkled_. _Elena mentally noted that they were the same clothes he had had on the night before when he had left the house.

"Hey guys," Alaric drawled awkwardly.

Jeremy stopped over to pick up the last loose paper. "Pretty early morning, aye, Teach?" he teased.

Alaric groaned but accepted the good-natured ribbing. It was a very early morning and his head hurt. He felt very positive that it should have hurt a whole hell of a lot more, but he was not going to start complaining.

"You and Damon must have tied one on pretty good last night."

"Yeah, uh, I wasn't with Damon last night." Elena's eyes went wide and Alaric rushed on, "It wasn't anything like that."

Jenna's death was still pretty fresh for all three of them. Alaric knew that Elena hadn't meant to insult him with her surprise, but the insinuation stung all the same. And while Damon assured him that spending an evening in the company of a lovely lady or two would be the best way to start healing, Alaric knew he could never go that route. His love for Jenna was still real, his heart was still raw. He was going to remain haunted by her for a while yet, and that was okay.

"I had an appointment that started late because of the weather. I just crashed at the apartment."

Elena covered her face with her hands for a second to recover from the embarrassment of her unintentional indictment. "I'm sorry, Ric. That was so rude of me."

"Don't worry, Elena. Is there any coffee?"

"For your own safety you should just make a new pot. Ow! Geez, Elena!"

"Play nice, kids," Alaric called to them from over his shoulder. "Don't make me ground you."

Childishly, Jeremy stuck his tongue out at his sister before bounding off up the stairs. The sound of the bathroom door opening and closing shortly followed after.

Elena returned to the kitchen island and watched as Alaric puttered with the coffee maker. "I take it there's still not much luck in renting out the apartment?"

"Actually, I had very good luck. I rented it out last night."

"But you said…"

"Yeah, I crashed there. We were supposed to meet at the Grill. She was late. I was…drunk. I agreed to rent her the apartment and she agreed I was too drunk to drive. I crashed in my apartment for the last time. I guess you and Jeremy are stuck with me now."

"You know we're happy to have you. What's your renter like?"

"She's, uh, I don't know. Reddish hair, blue eyes, kind enough to put up with my drunk ass. Her name is Seren. Seren Lancaster."

"New to Mystic Falls? Do we need to prepare for more supernatural evil?"

Alaric laughed, but something tickled in the back of his mind. "I hope not. She didn't seem particularly evil. I think she said she was in town to help her sister."

Elena thought on that for a few seconds but then let it go. She got to her feet and began pulling out bowls and spoons so she and Alaric could have some cereal.

* * *

Mystic Falls was not the smallest town that Seren had ever visited. Small and old, but obviously loved and well maintained. She had stopped to grab a coffee near the town square and stood for a while to watch as people came and went about their business. The parade of people who strolled past made Seren feel like she were lost in a Ralph Lauren photoshoot. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem on the sleeve of her jacket. Small town, old money. Lots and lots of old money.

After she got back to her car and started toward her destination she took note of the neighborhoods she drove through. Affluent and upper middle class, all lawns were nicely sculpted and manicured. The grass was emeral green in every yard. The perfection was eerie.

The house she finally stopped in front of was smaller than the ones around it, but it was still well-kempt and seemed inviting. The boards on the front porch creaked a little as she approached the door. She could hear the doorbell's little tune echo cheerily through the house after she pressed the small, lighted button. Charming.

The door finally opened a crack after a minute and two chocolate brown eyes looked out at her. "Can I help you?" the girl asked.

"I'm looking for Bonnie Bennett."

The door opened wider and Seren could really see the girl now. "I'm Bonnie."

"I'm Seren," She introduced herself and held out her hand. Bonnie reached out hesitantly with her own hand. Instead of shaking it like a normal person, Seren let her hand slip past Bonnie's and gently gripped the girl's forearm instead. Invisible power exploded between them on contact, creating an unnatural burst of wind that whipped out their hair and set the porch swing to swaying. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sister."


	3. Chapter 3

~ 3 ~

"I'm still not sure I really understand what's going on here."

Bonnie and Seren had moved their conversation from Bonnie's house to the Mystic Grill at Bonnie's behest. Her father was home and this was not a conversation that she was interested in having where he could overhear.

"You've been very isolated here, right? Your only teacher was your grandmother?"

Bonnie nodded. "She didn't get much of a chance to teach me. She passed away shortly after I…came into my powers."

"I'm sorry to hear that. So you've been piecing things together how? Family grimoirs?"

"And the occasional ancestral possession."

Seren blinked and stared wide-eyed across the table at the girl. And then she burst out laughing. A few people at near-by tables turned to look in their direction and Bonnie blushed at the sudden attention. Seren just kept laughing, tears starting to roll from the corners of her eyes.

"I didn't realize I was that funny."

"It's not you," Seren sighed with a smile. "It's just…karma, I guess."

Bonnie shifted uncomfortable on the bench seat of her side of the booth. She cast her eyes around one more time and gave an awkward smile to the Grill patrons whose attention had been drawn by Seren's laughter. "I'm not following you."

"I was a lot like you, Bonnie. I didn't have a clue about magic or witches until weird things started happening to me. I was about fifteen. You see, my father had passed away when I was a child and my mother raised me on her own. She remarried when I was thirteen. She never told me anything much about my father's family, the Lancasters. She wanted a normal life and she really believed that by never talking about the Lancasters I would end up being a normal child."

"But you weren't normal."

"Nope. And one day I got into an argument with my stepfather. I don't remember what it was about. We fought a lot. He was yelling at me and I remember he moved forward, like he was going to grab me. Then he was flying backwards and crashing into the wall."

"What happened? Was he hurt?"

"He hit his head and lost consciousness," Seren admitted, "but he was okay. And my mother finally passed over a box of my father's belongings. I was a teenager with unreal powers and only a book for guidance. Things did not go well for quite a few years."

Bonnie's gaze dropped down to her hands which were lightly drumming on the table top. There were so many thoughts racings around in her head. How much could she share with this woman? Everything Seren had told her sounded like it was being said with sincere honesty. But out of everything that had happened over the past year the one thing that stood out the most was that strangers in Mystic Falls rarely turned out to be a good thing. The town felt more and more cursed every day; like it was a magnet for all evil imaginable. She had wanted to be a tool to fight for goodness, but with every new ordeal she faced, the line between good and evil got all the more blurry.

Blurry or not, she still wanted the magic back. The void insider her still made her cry daily. There was no power inside her to call up for even the simplest of castings. Even worse – she couldn't hear the earth anymore. Sometimes, mostly in the first couple of days after that horrible night but still occasionally, Bonnie would sit as still as possible and try to open herself up like her grandmother had taught her to do when the power was still there. Most of the time she was greeted by nothing, but sometimes she could hear the voices of her ancestors accusing her of misusing her gifts and their powers.

They wanted her punished and Bonnie wasn't even sure she disagreed.

* * *

"Just one drink, Ric. Come on."

Alaric's stomach flip-flopped at the suggestion of alcohol. "Sorry Damon, but us mere mortals actually need functioning livers."

Damon Salvatore rolled his eyes at his best friend's dismissal, but lightly clamped his hand down on Ric's shoulder and steered him into the Grill against his wishes anyway.

"No, Damon," Alaric protested even as Damon was motioning for the bartender to set them up with two drinks.

"It's summer vacation!" Damon insisted, sliding a glass over towards the other man.

"I already told you. I went way past the line last night. And I have to think about Elena and Jeremy now."

"Yes. You had a long drunken night that ended up with you going home with a strange woman. Tell me again how that went?

"I swear to God, Damon," Alaric grumbled and glared at the smirking vampire, "I will punch you."

Damon downed his drink in two swallows and traded his empty glass for the one Alaric refused to touch. "So what was wrong with her? Facial piercings? Burn scars? A-cup?"

Alaric tried to maintain his disgust but a small hint of amusement slipped out in soft, tired laugh. "God, Damon, what part of 'not ready to move on' do you not understand?"

"The part where it keeps you from having any fun and you end up sleeping alone."

"If it gets you to shut up – there wasn't anything wrong with her. She was pretty. Dark hair, pale skin, weird eyes."

"And why did she say she was in town?"

"Something about a sister."

"A sister named Bonnie Bennett?"

"What are you…"

Alaric turned in his seat to find Damon staring off at a booth across the dining room where Bonnie Bennett was sitting with Seren Lancaster. Bonnie's face looked slightly gaunt since the last time Alaric had seen her. There was no smile on her face. She was raptly listening to what Seren was saying to her.

"I don't see a family resemblance," Damon quipped. His posture stiffened for a second as he stretched his senses out to try and pick up on their conversation. Alaric could tell that something was not right when the other man squinted his eyes and turned his head as if his ear was broken. "You know who has sisters, Ric?"

"Damon, don't." But it was too late. The vampire was already weaving his way between tables. Alaric jumped to his feet to chase after Damon, but he didn't make it to the booth until the vampire had slid into the booth next to Bonnie.

"Bonnie! What a pleasant surprise! No one has seen you in ages!"

"Damon," she muttered tersely, edging away from him as much as she could without falling off the other side of the seat.

"Who's your friend?" he asked and gone was the fake friendly pretext. Damon fixed the other woman in his cold frozen gaze.

"Let's leave the ladies alone, Damon."

"When have you ever known me to leave ladies alone, Ric?"

Seren turned her attention over to Alaric and beamed up at him. "Ric, lovely to see you again. You look much better than any man should after having a night like yours."

"Doesn't he just," Damon didn't allow Alaric a chance to respond. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with that, would you?"

"Damon," Alaric warned. "Bonnie, Seren, I'd apologize for Damon but there's really not enough time."

Damon let his head loll back against the booth as he affected the most innocent look he could ever manage. "All I wanted was an introduction with your….enchanting new tenant," he purred.

"I actually need to get going," Bonnie spoke up. "Thank you for the talk, Seren. Alaric, could you excuse me?"

Alaric stepped aside and let the young woman get to her feet. "I'll walk you out," he offered and was surprised when she didn't refuse. He gave one last warning look at Damon before escorting Bonnie towards the exit.

"And then there were two." Damon leveled dangerous eyes at Seren.

Seren leaned forward on her elbows as if she were going to share a secret with him. "Your vampire is showing," she whispered softly and allowed a big grin to grow across her face as she watched the annoyance play across his face.

Damon snorted when he realized she was messing with him. "Do we glitter to you guys or something?"

"Kinda." She surprised him again when she stretched her arm out across the table and offered her hand to him. "Seren Lancaster."

He took it after a moment's hesitation, knowing that as soon as they touched she would get some sort of glimpse into his being. She didn't flinch in the slightest. "Damon Salvatore."

There as no way to ignore the fact that he hadn't let go of her hand. "To what do I owe the pissing contest, Mr. Salvatore?"

"Witches showing up in my town has never really ended up being a good thing for me."

"And trying to break my hand in public is going to ensure an end to that streak? You knew what I was before you came over here, Mr. Salvatore. You know what Bonnie is. I'm pretty sure you're well aware that I could have you balled up on the floor before you could even begin to tighten your fingers."

"Yeah, the whole aneurism trick is an oldie but goodie around here."

Devilish amusement glinted through Seren's pale blue eyes. "That's actually a lot less messy than what I had in mind," she said with a Cheshire grin.

"I'm somewhat amazed you haven't attempted anything already."

"I'm not scared of you, Mr. Salvatore."

And she really wasn't. At no time during their exchange had she exhibited any signs of fright. Not even apprehension. Her heart rate remained a steady pulsing thrum. She hadn't even fidgeted in her seat, and that made Damon all the more curious.

"Damon," he corrected her and finally released her hand. For the first time since sliding into the booth Damon allowed himself to relax the most miniscule amount. His eyes moved up and down the parts of her body that he could see and, begrudgingly, he agreed with Alaric's earlier summary that she was pretty.

That was always the trouble with witches.


	4. Chapter 4

~ 4 ~

It was the shrill whistle of the tea kettle that pulled Elena out of her thoughts and back to the reality of the kitchen. Caroline was still talking, her voice bubbling with excitement and confusion. She hadn't even noticed that Elena had zoned out at all, and she continued to give voice to her issues with Tyler Lockwood and their new relationship.

Elena smiled as she shifted from her perch on a kitchen stool and moved to the stove. Preparing tea was so instinctive that her mind began to wander once more, back to her own confusing relationships. Caroline was a good friend, but Elena missed Bonnie awfully. When all of the supernatural drama with the vampires got to be too much, Bonnie, despite her witchiness, was one of the few people Elena could always go to for some "human" time. She was lonely without Bonnie.

She was surprised to realize she was also angry. She had argued with everyone about how to handle Klaus. Risking anyone else's life to save her own was not acceptable to her, but they had all conspired behind her back, Bonnie included. She had never wanted Bonnie involved in the first place! Why was Elena the one now being punished by this withdrawal of friendship?

"Am I boring you, Elena?"

Elena's head jerked up, startled. "No, Caroline, I'm sorry. I'm not being a good friend at all today."

"It's just stupid boy talk," Caroline mumbled as she toyed with a strand of her perfectly styled blonde hair. "What's wrong?"

"It's Bonnie. I'm worried about her and upset that she's avoiding me. And angry because… Why is this my fault? Oh, God. I can't believe I just said that out loud." Elena groaned out of disgust with herself and dropped her head into her hands. "I'm a horrible person."

Caroline reached over and placed a comforting hand on Elena's shoulder. "No, sweetie, you're not. There's no way you can be horrible with how much you obsess over everyone's safety." That made Elena slump even further down in shame. "You're not the only one she's avoiding, you know. She hasn't returned any of my calls or texts. I haven't gotten up the courage to actually go over there and have her slam the door in my face."

"She sees Jeremy. He doesn't say much about their time together. Just that she's withdrawn and we just need to give her time. But it's been weeks. It feels like….she's not ever coming back to us."

"We can't think like that, Elena. And we won't let that happen."

Elena sat up straight and looked at Caroline. They had been best friends since grade school but it seemed as if this were the first time she was really seeing the other young woman. Did Caroline even realize how much she had changed when she had transitioned? Yes, she was still dramatic but more and more there were moments of profound caring and insight. Becoming a vampire seemed to have endowed Caroline with a confidence that made everyone take notice.

"Thank you, Caroline."

The blonde vampire cocked her head and glanced down at the hand Elena had placed over her own. "For what?" she asked curiously.

Before Elena could give an explanation, there came a loud crash came from the front hall. Both women jump in surprise. Elena and Caroline exchanged a quick glance between them before rushing through the living room to see what had happened.

"Jeremy!" Elena cried as she and Caroline cleared the corner and saw her brother sprawled on the floor, half in, half out the front door.

Instantly, Caroline's predator senses flipped on and she cautiously moved passed Jeremy to the front porch, searching for signs of a perpetrator. Nothing looked out of the ordinary outside the house. The only sounds to reach her ears were those of the neighborhood going about their evening business.

"Jeremy?" Elena called softly, gently patting her brother's cheek, trying her best not to disturb him but trying to get him to regain consciousness. He was breathing and his eyes twitched beneath his closed lids, but they did not open.

"There isn't anyone out there," Caroline reported from the doorway, "and his car's out front."

"How could he drive in this condition? Caroline, help me get him over to the couch!"

Jeremy's t-shirt hitched up across his ribs as Caroline transferred him to the couch. Now they both could see deep bruising on his side that stretched out across his lowest ribs.

"He took a bad beating," Caroline reported clinically, almost dispassionately. "Where was he?"

Elena's head snapped up immediately. "Bonnie!"

Caroline was out the door and gone before Elena could even get her cell phone out from the pocket of her jeans.

It wasn't more than fifteen minutes after Jeremy's crash landing on the entry hall floor that the Gilbert house's living room had taken on the ominous feel of a war council. Elena worried at her lower lip while she contemplated which was worse: that any of them were there at all, or the fact that this type of gathering had become a near common occurrence in their lives. Sure, this time they were enjoying a change in scenery by being here and not at the boarding house, but being surrounded by mementos of her family and childhood brought no comfort to Elena. Silently she worried that those cherished memories would now carry the same taint that had seeped into all of the other dark corners of their lives.

Across the coffee table from her Alaric sat on the couch next to Jeremy, trying to coax the boy into re-telling the story one more time in an attempt to flesh out any more details that might have been missed.

"What's the point, Ric?" Damon growled as he paced behind them. "He was on the wrong side of a magic attack. Bonnie's missing. It's pretty simple what our next move is. How many other witches in town do we know of?"

"Other witches?" Stefan spoke up from beside Elena. "You've known about other witches being in Mystic Falls?"

"No," Alaric answered, his voice filled with annoyance at Damon's obstinacy.

Damon's pacing came to an immediate halt. "No? Remind me again, Ric, who exactly was the curvy brunette I had lunch with today?"

"All right, you two, enough! What is going on?" Elena demanded, no longer able to listen to the bickering. And even though both men had been equally aggravating, she focused her stern gaze firmly on Alaric.

"Okay, yes," Alaric corrected himself, exasperated, "there's a witch in town. One witch. Not witches."

"One, three, ten, what does it matter?" Damon jumped right back into his rant. "Seren Lancaster is a witch, she's a stranger, and she was getting pretty damn chummy with our witch who has now been…witchnapped! Please don't tell me I'm the only person in this room who can do that kind of math."

"Bonnie isn't your anything!" Jeremy snapped at Damon and then clutched his head between his hands as pain stabbed at his temples.

"Hey, Jer, just try to calm down." Alaric glared daggers at his drinking buddy. Damon, in return, threw up his hands in dramatic exasperation and rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

"Sniping at each other isn't helping us to find Bonnie," Caroline stated calmly from her perch by the front picture window. "Damon's right though." The combination of those words tasted funny in her mouth.

"Well, hallelujah! Thank you, Blondie!"

"If there's a new witch in Mystic Falls," Stefan cut in, blatantly ignoring his brother's outburst, "she's the closest thing we have to a lead."

"Yes! Good! Let's go!"

Alaric shook his head, defeated. For some reason he just didn't harbor the same paranoia over the woman that Damon did, but he knew there was no logical way he could explain it to the rest of them when he couldn't even really explain it to himself. He gave Jeremy's back one last reassuring pat before he rose to his feet. "Let's go then."

* * *

The only sounds inside the apartment were the soft hum from the refrigerator and the gentle inhalation and exhalation of breath. The curtains were drawn, blocking out a good amount of street light. None of the inside lights were on, Seren had turned them all off after pouring out a circle of salt on the bare wood floor. She had left a small gap in the outline, just a large enough space for her to step into the circle without disturbing the drawing. Now she was sitting dead center in the circle, a handful of salt and a small touch of power sealing her safely within the sacred space.

A pleasant calm spread out from Seren's core to her limbs as she breathed, focusing her mind and opening herself up to the power within her. It was a simple meditation and it only took her a handful of breathes to become completely centered. Her eyelids fluttered as she drew in a big breath and as she exhaled she pushed out a stream of magic. Fire light brightened the room with a soft yellow glow as dozens of white pillar candles flickered to life. They outlined the salt circle and covered just about every flat surface in the living area of the apartment. It was beautiful and made Seren smile.

"Blessed be," she whispered to the room, sending her thanks out to Nature and the Universe for gifting her with magic.

Seren closed her eyes once more and settled down in her spot. She opened herself up to the power again and just like with the lighting of the candles she pushed the power out away from her in an expanding circle, like ripples on still water.

The waves started slowly, rolling out into the apartment, passing through the open space and then washing over furniture before finally pushing through the walls and passing out into the night, moving over everyone and everything in Mystic Falls. Emotions and sensations came back to Seren, her brain processing the feedback as nothing more than average town life and activity which dissipated and shifted more and more to nature responses as the power pushed towards and past the incorporated town areas.

Soil, water, leaves; she could smell and taste all parts of a forest. The heartbeats of squirrels, deer and other creatures joined with her own and pulsed through her body. There was a cool breeze blowing that night, it raised goose bumps on her bare arms back in the apartment and the exhilaration made her push faster.

The invisible boundary her power collided with made her breath catch in her lungs and physically rocked her backwards. Seren's eyes flew wide open as she pushed her palms to the floor to regain her balance. The candle light flared brilliantly as the power she had sent out snapped back towards her and then guttered low as the witch gasped for air and released her hold on the bulk of the magic.

It took a couple of minutes for Seren to regain her sense of stability and recoup enough energy to push herself up to her feet. She released the power from her circle with no amount of ceremony and broke the salt boundary with her foot as she dashed towards the bathroom. Her body shivered as she splashed cold water on her heated cheeks. Her mind raced as she stared, unfocused, at her reflection in the bathroom vanity.

There had been no feeling in the barrier she had collided with. No imprint of good or evil. Just a massive wall of power in the middle of a wooded area near a town with only one resident witch who had no access to her powers. She had to find that spot and figure out what was happening.

Seren ran from the bathroom to the kitchen ad snatched her jacket off the back of a kitchen chair. She flung the door open as fast as her hand could work the doorknob and collided with two solid chests.

"Woah, Witchy, going somewhere fast?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Seren stared up into cold blue eyes, but she did not flinch or show any signs of surprise at the presence of the two men on her doorstep. "Perhaps we can have this conversation some other time?"

"Some other time isn't really going to work for us. We've got a bit of a problem. Now."

This time Alaric answered, "Bonnie Bennett is missing."

"But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Seren's temper flared and her spine went ridged at Damon's accusation. "Missing?"

"Jeremy Gilbert went by her house earlier this evening," Alaric explained, doing his best not to let his irritation with Damon bleed into his tone of voice. "He said they were attacked in Bonnie's house. Someone incapacitated him with magic and roughed him up pretty badly. They were gone when he came to and so was Bonnie."

Seren knew then without a doubt that if she could find that strange magic she would find Bonnie. The why was still a mystery that tugged on every fiber of her being. Her eyes shifted between Alaric and Damon before sternly nodding her head and crossing the safety of the apartment's threshold, closing the door behind her. "One of you has to drive."

Damon's eyes bore a hole into Seren's back as she pushed between him and Alaric and rushed down the hall. "I sooo love it when witches come to town."


End file.
